One Slip of the Foot
by Nirex
Summary: …and Joshua brings on a series of events that jeopardizes him and his group of runners who defy the government, as well as a young man so determined for answers that he doesn't realize what he's getting himself into…[No pairings]
1. Chapter 1 - What They Were Waiting For

**One Slip of the Foot…**

**Look, another story guys~! And after you guys thought I was dead ;) Oh, and it's gonna be multiple chapters 8D I have no clue how long it'll end up being so just go with it :D  
And sorry about any spelling or grammatical errors. I'm a bit of a noob writer and I don't have a beta reader xD Please bear with me~.  
**

**So this idea came from Mirrors Edge (really fun game). I got the thought, "Hey, I wonder what Joshua would be like as a runner?" Then plot bunnies and stuff~.**

**Name: One Slip of the Foot…**

**Summary: …and Joshua brings on a series of events that jeopardizes him and his group of runners who defy the government, as well as a young man so determined for answers that he doesn't realize what he's getting himself into…**

**Rating: T (to be safe, probably just some violence and yeah. I'll give warnings if needed but I highly doubt it .)**

* * *

Joshua knew it was going to be one of those days; where everything went wrong and life seemed even more unfair than usual.

He hated those days and always dreaded getting out of his wonderful and luxurious bed that never judged him or made his day horrible. So maybe that was why it was already 9 in the morning and he was still huddled under the blankets like it was a shield of protection from the imminent crappy day that was looming just outside the covers. It was pushing in on him like how gravity pushes down on you when you lose your footing and then helps you plummet to your death.

Joshua flinched at the thought of falling. It brought back the nightmare he had just woken up from. The one he'd been having every night.

_He's standing on the roof of 104, a pistol clutched in hand. He blinks in confusion, unsure of what's going on and why did he have a gun? _

_This is a dream, he tells himself, turning to leave. A hand grabs the collar of his shirt. _

'_Stop,' the voice says, but he can't tell if it's a woman or a man. He whirls around, lifts the gun and pulls the trigger. He sees blood. He wants to grin in triumph but a sharp pain in his chest stops him. Glancing down, he notices a stain spreading through his shirt, staining it scarlet. He laughs._

_It's not his attacker's blood. It's his. _

_The gun slips through his fingers and he staggers backward. Another step backwards and his foot greets air. Now he's falling and he's so confused and he can't help but wonder how much blood he's lost and what will Mr. H say about this? Why was it taking so long to hit the ground?_

_Then his body connects with the pavement and the last thing he hears is the snapping of bones and the screams of people who just witnessed the scene. Everything goes black. _

'_You did this Josh. It's your fault.'_

He would awake at that point, gasping for air and clutching his abdomen that would always throb in pain. Right where he had been shot in the dream.

A knock on the door of his room startled him from his gloomy thoughts.

"Hey, J, you up? There's some stuff we have to go over for today."

Joshua groaned, rolling over. He buried his face into the pleasantly warm covers.

"Go away, Sanae. I don't wanna," he whined, voice muffled.

He heard Mr. H groan in frustration, no doubt running a hand through his short black hair like he always did.

"Sorry J, but I _will _come in there if you don't get up right now."

Joshua sighed, knowing he would.

Throwing the covers away from him, he stared the crappy day down. "Bring it on," he challenged the crappy day.

Smirking in victory, he moved to get up. Then he fell to the floor, legs caught up in the blankets.

"That was a low shot," he muttered to the crappy day which only seemed to laugh at his pain.

"Josh, stop talking to yourself and get up," Mr. H called before the sound of his footsteps indicated he had left.

"Coming…"

* * *

"Okay, so this is the plan for the infiltration."

Joshua and Sanae Hanekoma were seated at one of the tables in the café called WildKat. Mr. H owned the café and he and Joshua lived in the house attached to the café.

It was Sunday, so the café was closed. The place was void of anyone besides them and as they looked over the papers spread across the table, Joshua forced himself to ignore the eerie silence. He hated silence more than anything. Well, the government was number one on his list of things he hated, but silence was a close second.

They were discussing the plan they had put together to infiltrate and destroy their target: a super computer that controlled and heavily censored all the servers in Shibuya.

That's what their group did. Their group consisted of Mr. H as their leader, Josh himself as the second banana, and a small handful of others that all wanted the same thing: to free Shibuya from the grip of an oppressive government that only wanted to have a city devoid of free thinking, individuality, and complete control.

So their group ran. Not away like every other scared person in Shibuya, but towards the problem.

They would leap across the rooftops, using all their skills – either as parkour experts, support, or information-gatherers – to bring down the government and loosen their hold on everyone in the city.

Sanae loved individuality and creativity; he was CAT after all. He used the name as an alias when he went and painted amazing and colorful murals on the walls of buildings, usually in Udagawa where the government's control wasn't as strong. He didn't do it as often, since he ran their underground resistance group, but his artwork still spoke hope into people. He created the group for a reason: he hated the government's plans and would stop at nothing to stop them.

Joshua liked Sanae for that. His determination kept them going even when they felt like they weren't doing much. Everyone greatly respected Sanae for everything he had done.

"Josh. I know you just woke up but now's not the time for daydreaming."

Sanae's voice snapped Joshua out of his reverie. He chuckled, twirling a lock of his hair around his finger out of habit.

"Sorry Sanae, just thinking about why we're doing this and how far we've come," he smiled as he spoke softly in reply. Well, he had been thinking of a lot more but it was all related to this. Sanae gave him that look of his; the one where he raised an eyebrow in silent questioning yet still had that trademark grin of his plastered on.

His smile softened and his eyes twinkled like he was about to get all sappy. Joshua groaned mentally.

"Yes, we have come a long way and now we're finally going to cause havoc. We'll really get the ball rolling with this," was all he said though, gesturing to the papers in front of them. Joshua smirked.

"Well, shall we proceed?"

* * *

They initiated the operation at 11:30 in the morning, hoping the operation would take the thirty to forty five minutes as planned to complete so Joshua could slip into the crowds that would be on lunch break.

They wanted a flawless execution of the plan but mistakes were bound to happen; this was their first operation that required them all to be doing something after all.

Joshua and Beat would be the only people on the field. Joshua would be handling the hardest part; infiltration and elimination of the target. He was one of the best runners in the group and he was stealthier than Beat who was like a wild boar that could jump from building to building. Where Josh would carefully lock pick a door or take the vents, Beat would find a way to either blow up the whole wall or kick the door down with his limitless strength.

Joshua wondered about what his thought process was like sometimes.

'_Hey, instead of quietly opening the doors why not blow the whole building up? That would solve everything!' _and, _'That guy looked at me funny. You wanna pick a fight? Yeah, he wants to fight!'_

He was probably over-exaggerating Beat's…simplicity, but that was how the punk liked to think. And Joshua disliked him greatly after having to deal with 'prissy boy' this and 'girly boy' that. He was not a girl; he just liked his fabulous curly hair thank you very much!

But, he had to compliment Beat on his intense determination to complete what he started. If he couldn't do it one way, he'd be sure to try a thousand other ways until he got it done. Josh liked his bluntness as well; sugar-coating was not Beat's specialty and he preferred the straight truth. But Josh liked to avoid the truth as much as possible. Sometimes he hated himself for not facing the music. He made the music then ran away from it. That was the one thing Joshua wished he had from Beat's personality.

So, they would be on the field, and Shiki, Rhyme, and Sanae would be at the café. Sanae would be monitoring everything and Shiki would relay any important information through their headsets. Rhyme would be on standby and would only be needed if something happened. She was to rush out and cause a scene if Joshua, for any reason, got stuck in the building and needed the distraction. Beat also had the same role but he would probably just rush in and start bashing heads in if he felt like it.

They were seated on a rooftop not far away from the large skyscraper that was their destination. Joshua had lugged a backpack with everything they needed up there and now he was absentmindedly wrapping duct tape around the baggier parts of his sweats. He didn't want to get caught on something while running; that would be a disaster. His sweater wasn't as loose so he didn't have to worry about it so much.

"You falling asleep there, prissy boy?"

He almost didn't hear Beat's questioning voice. Snapping out of his overwhelming thoughts he glanced up at Beat. He was slumped against the door that led inside the apartment building.

"I'm not tired, _Daisukenojo_," He put a heavy emphasis on Beat's actual name, knowing it would get a humorous reaction, "just admiring the scenery."

Beat spluttered on an unspoken exclamation of embarrassment and Joshua giggled at his facial expression. He really enjoyed the many faces Daisukenojo Bito could make; the guy was an open book.

"Don't call me that, _Yoshiya Kiryu_," he snapped back, spitting out his real name like it was dirt.

Joshua frowned at his name. He absolutely despised his real name; it made him remember the better times.

"_We always thought the name Yoshiya Kiryu never really fit you, dear. It seems almost too formal for you. Your father thinks the same thing." _

"_You too, Father?"_

"_You bet, kiddo. Maybe you can think up a better one?" _

"_You want me to? How about just a nickname or something?" _

"_Whatever you'd like, my dear!" _

"_Heh, okay. Umm…how about Joshua?" _

"_Joshua? Why that name?" _

"_I dunno, I guess I can look in the mirror and say that name and it just fits."_

"…_Joshua." _

"_Alright, honey. Joshua it is."_

"_Well, Josh, do you want to go get some ice cream?" _

"_Okay!" _

It was saddening how fast the good times could disappear. He still remembered that day clearly in his head: the day he had become Joshua. It had been such a happy day.

He was only 9 at the time but his parents treated him like an adult. They had asked him what he wanted to be called. _Joshua_. He had liked the way it felt as he spoke it softly to himself.

So he had become Joshua. No one would use his real name these days; barely anyone knew his actual name now since he made a point of not giving it out freely.

His thoughts drifted to his parents. Would they be proud of him, for what he was doing? No, probably not.

They had always said revenge was for bitter people who couldn't move on after all.

"Sorry about that, Mother and Father."

He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud until Beat had asked in that loud voice of his, "Whatcha muttering about, prissy boy?"

He felt his face heat up slightly. Why did he always have a problem with his daydreams?

"It's nothing, Beat," he sighed, pushing himself to his feet. He fastened the backpack to his back securely, not wanting it to get caught on something and potentially damage the valuables in it. The disc in it was needed to crash the computer and he would be pretty screwed if it cracked or something.

Beat, being his oblivious self, didn't notice Joshua's somber mood. "Well, let's get this show on the road!"

Joshua placed the Blue Tooth headset on his ear and turned it on.

"Yeah, let's get this over with."

* * *

**Please forgive me if the next one takes a while to be put up, I'm really slow . I'm pretty much busy after school every day except Friday :S**

**Well, rate and review guys! It'll definitely help me get cracking on the next chapters xD **

**And apparently I have to use horizontal lines since I can't use double spaces to split up the scenes :T Well, whatevs~. **


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mission

**_I'm sorry for taking so long, please forgive me for being a horrible person _ Agh, I take on too much stuff and expect to have the time to do stuff on the side. But don't worry, I will try to be faster next time (emphasis on the try ^^;)_**

**_So me and my friend started RP blogs on Tumblr~ :P So fun, though I haven't had the time to make my blog look all pretty Dx So we've just been rping on our iPods by sending messages back and forth. Having wifi at my school is awesome xD _**

**_Etoile Luna: Yep, I know who you are haha :P I'm trying not to overdo his human outlook but tell me if I do xD Thanks for the review, pal :D_**

**_Amulet Misty: Thanks for the review :D I hope you keep liking it :P And I'm glad you liked Beat :3_**

**_Anyways, I don't own TWEWY because I'm just not worthy of its awesomeness T_T_**

**_So, enjoy and review! (Feel free to beat me for being slow, I deserve it T_T)  
_**

**_(Also, I have no clue how programs and all that hacking stuff works, so if it sounds unrealistic, it probably is xD)_**

* * *

_Beat, being his oblivious self, didn't notice Joshua's somber mood. "Well, let's get this show on the road!" _

_Joshua placed the Blue Tooth headset on his ear and turned it on. _

"_Yeah, let's get this over with."_

* * *

The heavy feeling of gloominess in his chest departed from him as soon as he raced to the edge of the roof and his feet pushed off into the open space beyond. The exhilaration left him giddy on the inside and he couldn't help but giggle as he felt like he was soaring through the air.

He glanced back towards Beat and saw him giving a thumbs up, grin donning his face, as if to say _'Nice jump'_. Joshua, too ecstatic to be bothered by Beat like he usually was, waved as he smirked. He looked back to where he was aiming to land: a lower building on the opposite side of the street. Even though he really just wanted to enjoy the feeling of falling, he had to focus on what he was doing or else some unlucky person would be scraping him off the street.

The roof of the next building greeted him and he automatically went into a roll to lessen the force of impact and keep his momentum; it was important he kept momentum or else he wouldn't have enough speed to make the jumps. He didn't want to consider what would happen if he screwed up.

"How are you doing, Josh?" Shiki's voice crackled through the headset.

"Absolutely splendid," He replied, not being sarcastic for once.

"That's good to hear," She giggled, and he could imagine the shy smile she always had.

Shiki was one of the people that Joshua actually didn't mind being around; she was more on the quiet side and was pretty smart. She was a caring person and was almost always cheerful. The one thing that annoyed Joshua was when she got started on anything sewing related. He was fine with it for the first while but it started to get a little aggravating after an hour. Well, he supposed everyone had something they really enjoyed.

"Josh, Mr. H wanted me to remind you once again that you'll have to find a way to get to the fourth floor balcony. It's the only way to get by almost all the security cameras."

"Yes, I remember. Are there usually a lot of people on that floor?"

"We don't believe so, since there are no offices up there. Just storage and whatever else. I believe the balcony is used for people who want a smoke though so be careful about that."

"Alright. Anything else?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then faint voices. Josh assumed she was discussing with Sanae.

"Only to look out for security guards since a couple do rounds on that floor," She finally told him.

He gave Shiki a sincere thank you before continuing on, the destination only a few minutes away.

As soon as he saw the tall building looming over him, he felt overwhelmed. He had to sneak through _that?_

_Now's not the time to doddle, _he chastised himself before proceeding to climb up the pipe on the side of a taller building. Hopefully it would be tall enough for him to jump onto the balcony from the roof. He'd also have to have a good running start at it since he would need enough distance to clear the street below.

Taking a breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart, Joshua began to race across the roof, speed building as he neared the edge.

_I'm gonna fall._

He stumbled a little at the thought, his fear giving him a paralyzing feeling. His mind jumped to the nightmare. Bones snapping. Blood.

_No! Shut up!_

He pushed it all back and switched to auto pilot. He felt like he was only viewing himself as he left the roof and cleared the distance to the balcony. As he fell into a roll he switched back to manual.

"Good thing no one's up here," He muttered as he sat on the railing to catch his breath.

Just then, the headset began to buzz, indicating that Shiki (or Beat and Rhyme he supposed, but they both had no reason to drop a line unless something bad had happened) was on the line again.

"The GPS shows you're on the balcony, Josh. How are you faring? Any problems yet?"

Shiki was such a worrywart. Joshua chuckled.

"Nope, everything's peaches and cream here. There's no reason for you to worry about me so much, my dear," He replied jokingly. He heard her puff, no doubt a little peeved.

"Whatever, Josh. Just get your butt moving."

"Oh, why in such the rush? Do you miss my wonderful butt that much?" He enjoyed bugging her sometimes.

A sound like a screech came from the headset, making him flinch. That was probably Shiki.

"Joshua! I will kick that 'wonderful' butt of yours if you don't get moving right now," She growled and Joshua decided it was about time he got going. Shiki was terrifying when she was in a rage.

"Okay, bye!" He giggled before ending the line.

Now that he had filled his 'annoy people' quota for the day, he could continue on lightheartedly. So, cautiously, he slipped inside through the door and made his way along. Stealthily, he stole across the hallway and into another open door just as quickly.

The lights were off in the room so he assumed that it was vacant. _That or someone was playing 'hide and seek' here,_ he added sarcastically as he waited silently where he was, just in case there actually was someone in the room. He counted to 20 then began feeling along the wall for the light switch.

Feeling his hand come in contact with what he was looking for, he flicked the switch up and then scrunched his eyes shut as the room seemed to explode with light. He waited patiently for his eyes to adjust before actually looking around the room.

The room actually wasn't all that large, probably only the size of a larger walk-in closet, so it amazed Josh how they could cram so many filing cabinets in it. Other than the filing cabinets, there was nothing else of interest, unless he considered the random potted plant a point of interest (who put a potted plant in a room like this, _anyways_?) so he began to investigate the nearest filing cabinet. It was locked, which disappointed him until he looked around some more and finally found one unlocked.

"Looks like someone was being lazy," he chuckled as he pulled the drawer open and began leafing through the many files. He pulled out a random one and opened it. Inside was a small pile of papers held with a paperclip and a photo of a young man was also tucked under the paperclip. He began to read the contents.

_Case No. 4587_

_Name: Yoshiki Aru_

_Age: 21_

_Deceased_

_From the report I received from CC, Aru was planning to launch a riot outside of 104, claiming to have proof that we were silencing people for speaking out against us. CC reported that "he was dealt with accordingly. One of our men slipped into his apartment at 3:25 in the morning, shot him in the head, and then stole some of his possessions to make it look like a robbery. He also found the papers Aru had had that proved our killing of people that spoken out. Our contacts in the police made sure there was no evidence left behind." I will be keeping a monitor on anyone who knew him personally and his family to make sure there are no suspicions. We have no reason to believe that anyone can trace this 'robbery' back to us._

There was some more pointless writing after that but Joshua was too shaken up to keep reading. The paper shook violently in his hands and he suddenly felt very nauseous.

This guy was killed because he had found out what they were doing. They could kill anybody they wanted to because they could _get away with it_. No one dared to mess with them if they did find out. And now he knew and he would be next and then everyone else after him-

"_Stop it!_" was what his mind screamed. He snapped back to reality, body still trembling. As quietly as he could, he placed the paper back in the file then tucked it in his bag. He would have to show this to Sanae and the others when he completed the mission.

He closed the drawer, his good mood now replaced with a somber realization. They wouldn't hesitate to kill him if they had any suspicions of him. There would be now hesitation and definitely no remorse.

He began to leave but stopped and glanced up at the plaque on the door. '_Janitorial Closet'_ was what it read.

If this place was meant to be a secret, then why was the door unlocked and why was one of the filing cabinets left opened?

_Seems like someone else found out what they shouldn't have known, _he thought bitterly, closing the door gently so that no one who knew what was actually in there panicked.

His mood had settled into a numb emptiness by now. He blankly ventured down the hall, keeping a look out for guards and any security cameras. He pulled his hood up just in case he was caught on camera.

_But it'll only help so much._

By the time he had gotten to the stairwell, it was 11:45. He had wasted 15 minutes and now he had to rush to make up for it.

Cursing himself mentally, he shot up the stairs, passing floor after floor. He was really glad people were lazy and used elevators so he didn't have to worry about being spotted.

Just when he thought there'd be no end to the stairs, he ran into the last door. There was more stairs, but that led to the roof. This was where the super computer was located so no one would be on the floor since there was no need to monitor it. But the floor would be full of cameras.

His headset beeped, meaning someone was trying to connect. He hit the button the device. The feed instantly burst into life with Sanae's frantic voice, "Josh, you're falling behind. You spent a long time on the fourth floor; did something happen?"

"I found some stuff you should see when I get back," was all he said in reply. He wasn't really up to talking about it yet.

Sanae seemed to understand. "Okay. Anyways, I just hacked into the security system and messed with the cameras. They'll only show an image of the empty room so you'll be good for a little bit. But they'll notice eventually that someone has broken into their security system so you need to be fast."

"Gotcha. And Sanae? The door here seems to be locked. It requires a key card to get in," Joshua told him as he inspected the door in front of him.

Sanae laughed on the other end. "Josh, if you haven't looked in the bag by now, you should. There's a key card that I programmed to crash the lock system when you swipe it. Try it out."

Joshua shrugged the bag off to examine its contents. He found said card wrapped neatly in bubble wrap along with the disc to protect it from any damage. He withdrew it from the bag and swiped it through the place the lock indicated. The results were almost instantaneous; the lock gave a beep then made a popping sound before smoke began to come from it.

"Works like a charm, Sanae," Joshua said, impressed.

"You're welcome, kid. Now get a move on."

After their farewells, Joshua cautiously pulled the door open. Poking his head in, he saw that the room was indeed empty.

Not wanting to waste any time, he hastily ran towards the computer, that sat there, completely unaware of its impending doom.

"Wow, this thing is huge," Joshua whispered, impressed.

Sanae had told him the tower would no doubt have a strong case that would withstand any physical damage and wouldn't be affected by a large magnet, which were their first ideas.

But this disc was made so when it was inserted and Joshua had launched it, it would launch a special program that was designed to wipe the hard drives and render them useless. Joshua didn't understand Sanae's computer lingo but all he needed to know was whether it would do its job or not. Sanae assured him it would. All he had to do was launch it from the computer.

He opened the disc tray and gently pulling the disc out of his bag and taking it out of his case, he plopped it on the tray and closed it.

He moved over to the monitor and examined the screen.

"Looks like a normal desktop to me…," he muttered, expecting something more mind blowing. Well, easier for him. He navigated to the 'Computer' folder where it showed the list of discs and USBs inserted. He clicked on 'BD-ROM Drive (D:)' assuming it was the right one. He must've picked the right one because a window opened with a black background. He watched curiously as text began to fill it. The text was flying by so fast he couldn't keep up with what it said, though he doubted he wouldn't have been able to understand it even if he could read it. The computer began to beep haphazardly and he decided it was best to put some distance from the computer.

Smoke had begun to seep through the openings in the casing of the tower and Joshua assumed it was crashing. The text was still flying down the screen and Joshua was amazed at the scene in front of him. To him, it was like a beautiful disaster.

His headset beeped, startling him out of his reverie. He hit the button on his headset before saying, "Joshua here."

"Josh, you need to get out of there!" It was Shiki's voice and she sounded panicked. He felt his pulse quicken.

"What's wrong?"

"The computer must have set off a silent alarm! There are guards coming up the stairwell and they'll be there any second! Get out of there!"

The door flew open with a crash.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Escape

**I'm sooo sorry for taking so long to update Dx And I had to re edit this whole thing since the internet cut out just as I went to save it (so pissed right now). So I won't be working on it next week since I'll be on a school trip to Minneapolis. Soo excited~! **

**And I got my Driver's Licence (Learner's) 2 weeks ago :D I'm totally ready to go and crash and die~! Just kidding, I'm an awesome driver :D **

**So without further ado...**

* * *

_His headset beeped, startling him out of his reverie. He hit the button on his headset before saying, "Joshua here." _

"_Josh, you need to get out of there!" It was Shiki's voice and she sounded panicked. He felt his pulse quicken. _

"_What's wrong?" _

"_The computer must have set off a silent alarm! There are guards coming up the stairwell and they'll be there any second! Get out of there!" _

_The door flew open with a crash._

* * *

Joshua knew he had to think fast, but he felt himself freeze up.

_Move! Move!_ He screamed mentally, his heart pounding in his ears. He could see the outlines of the guards rushing in and somewhere in the back of his mind, he thanked the computer for spewing so much smoke that they couldn't see him just yet.

Now Joshua had a plan that formed as he stood there motionless. He could make it out without being spotted if he carefully made his way over to the window and leapt from it to a lower roof; the cons being a rough landing from the far fall which would most likely result in a broken bone or two and lots of bruises.

Joshua would rather try his faulty plan than stick around and be 'dealt with' like that Yoshiki guy had. So he turned to carry out his idea, trying to not cough too loudly from the smoke filling the room at a fast rate.

The smoke may have helped him stay unseen for the moment but it was also a hindrance to his sight as well. It was probably the main reason that the events that unfolded after this had happened as they had.

As he was about to make his hasty retreat, a thought popped into his mind.

_Where is my bag?_

Just then, he felt his foot catch on something. Before he could even react or even feel surprised, he was sprawled out on the ground. Glancing back, he saw his foot was caught in the strap of his backpack.

"Found it..," he groaned, feeling like an idiot.

"He's over there!" one of the guards, who had heard his elegant screw up, shouted and gunshots rang out. He could hear the bullets whizzing past him and he decided now was the best time to get out of there.

He scrambled to his feet, ducking and cursing as bullets flew past him. He snatched his bag off the ground and fled in the opposite direction.

"Window, window, window...," he chanted frantically, searching through the haze for his escape.

Searing pain shot through his shoulder and he bit on his tongue to stop a scream from escaping. He knew that that was definitely a gunshot wound so there was really no need to look at it just yet. What difference would it make anyways?

A hand grabbed his shoulder and Joshua whirled, punching the guy's lights out before he could even utter a word. Joshua was well-trained in melee for these situations.

_Guns are a different story, _he thought bitterly, feeling the stabbing pain in his shoulder.

He felt along the wall until his fingers came in contact with what he figured was a doorknob. For a second he wondered if he had somehow gotten back to the entrance then considered that the guard's shouting and shots were behind him. They wouldn't stray too far from the door until the smoke cleared up.

_That buys me some time._

Testing the knob, he breathed a sigh of relief to find it unlocked.

Gently pushing it open, he slipped in and closed the door, quickly yet cautiously. Turning, he was glad to see the smoke hadn't gotten in the room. He surveyed the room: a small office that didn't seem to be used at the time. And there was a window.

"Perfect," he whispered, ignoring how his voice sounded weak. Now wasn't the time to worry about his condition; the adrenaline would keep him going until he got out.

He moved to the window and peered out it before groaning.

"That's...quite the jump."

The street wasn't that wide and he could easily clear it but he was worried about how low the building on the other side was; it would be a far fall and rolling would only help with the force so much.

"Well, better roll with this," he decided before snickering at his pun.

_Because when you hit the ground you have to roll. Oh wow, I'm losing it._

He slapped himself lightly on the face. He was already starting to feel a little light-headed.

"Suffering from blood loss? Did I maybe get shot more than once?" he wondered out loud. His leg did feel a little goofy and stiff, but he didn't bother to check.

_No time...no time...no time..._

He brought his foot up and smashed the window with a solid kick.

The gunshots ceased in the other room and he assumed they must have heard him.

_Not sticking around to find out._

He braced himself against the far wall, preparing to push of. He would have to build as much momentum as possible in the small room. But he could do it.

_Maybe. _

He shoved away from the wall and flew full speed towards the window. He was gaining speed fast and he barely noticed the door crashing open as his foot left the window frame and he was flying through open space. He watched the pedestrians underneath him as he flew overhead. No one seemed to notice him and that was good.

Something loud sounded behind him and he felt his body jolt. For a moment, he was suspended in air and everything went white.

He blanked. For how long, he didn't know. The wind disappeared, the fear dissipated, and calmness enwrapped him. He fell into it, savoring the moment.

_But this isn't right._

Then he was hitting the roof. He didn't even have time to feel surprised as he landed awkwardly, foot twisting in a way it shouldn't and his body slamming into the ground.

His momentum kept him going and he logged rolled a few times before coming to a rest against the railing. Groaning, he stayed collapsed on the ground, too dazed to move. Then he slowly dragged himself up, using the railing as a crutch. His hand went up to his ear to turn on his headset but felt nothing but his ear.

"What? Did I lose it at some point?" he wondered out loud, glancing around the roof. It wasn't anywhere he could see.

_Hopefully, if I did lose it in the building, it got destroyed or something._

He didn't give it much thought, still intent on getting as far away as possible. He hobbled over to the door on the roof, which led down into the building.

He stumbled down the steps, hoping no one was around to spot him. He imagined he didn't look that good at the moment.

_Yeah right. I'm always fabulous._

He had to get a grip or else he was going to lose it.

Ignoring his inner turmoil, he continued to stagger down the stairs of what he figured to be an apartment. He barely noticed how he was smearing blood along the walls as he limped down the hallways.

_Need to get out, need to get out, need to get out...,_ he repeated over and over. It kept him going.

A shrill scream startled him and he turned to see a young woman standing there petrified. She was pale and looked ready to faint from sheer fright. He ignored her and continued on, mind telling him she wasn't important and was not needed to get out.

"H-hey! You're hurt! You need to get to the hospital!" she stuttered frantically, but made no move to follow him.

_Just go away._

He paid no attention to her words, yanking the door open and starting down the stairs.

He went down as quickly as he could manage and found himself in the lobby.

There wasn't a soul to be seen, which relieved Joshua. He fled to the entrance, not wanting to stick around for when that woman would most certainly call the police. He noticed the blood he left on the door's handle as he slipped outside.

_I'm getting blood everywhere. Well, I'm not cleaning it up._

The street seemed oddly empty as Joshua travelled down it until he found an alleyway to slip into.

_Did people hear the gunshots or something? Shibuya has been pretty quiet in some areas..._

Joshua dismissed the thought, not wanting to dwell on the idea. Now wasn't the time.

He staggered down the alleyway, slowly making his way away from the government's building. He was getting further and further and after what felt like an hour he was wandering through the poorer part of Shibuya, disoriented and weak. He still managed to mostly avoid being seen. The people who did see him only ran away now.

_They don't want to be involved. Don't blame them. _

The pain was starting to intensify, now that the adrenaline had begun to fade away. How had he managed to walk on a broken ankle anyway?

_Adrenaline is crazy._

His teeth were gritted as he staggered down another alley, hands clutching the wall for support. He bumped into a dumpster in the alley and stumbled, grabbing at it to hold himself up.

He wasn't going to make it any further. Sinking to the ground, he pressed himself between the side of a dumpster and the wall, effectively shielding himself from being seen from one way.

How would he get a hold of the group? He worried over the question, ignoring the intensifying pain. His thoughts were only a distraction at this point and they only helped so much. His thoughts were becoming fragmented and confusing as he gritted his teeth against the pain.

"I...shouldn't fall asleep...," he whispered, blackness seeping into his sight. His head tipped back to rest against the side of a dumpster, his eyes closing.

_Just a little nap wouldn't hurt..._

Neku Sakuraba was hating everything right now. Well, except CAT. He could never hate CAT.

His backpack was slung over his shoulders as he putted down the street towards his apartment, headphones on and music blaring. His bag was full of spray paint cans and his now empty lunch bag. He had hoped to go find a nice building to create a mural idea he had for a while. He would call it 'The Poor and the Rich'.

"If I ever get the time," he grumbled, wishing he was loaded with cash so he didn't have to work at that stupid grocery store and could actually do something he wanted to do. And what he wanted to do was make art.

But he just made enough money to cover the apartment rent and his other necessities so he couldn't really quit.

Sighing, he kicked a beer can across the street, watching it hit the side of a building. His eyes drifting up from the can, he frowned as he tried to make out something on the wall.

"What the heck is that?" he muttered, crossing the street to get a better look.

At first he thought it to be paint, but upon closer inspection, Neku realized with a start that it was blood splattered on the wall. Heart pounding, Neku backed away, wanting to get far away from the area.

He continued to walk along, ignoring the blood trail on the wall beside him.

As he turned to go down the alley he always took, he saw that the blood trail continued down the alley as well. His stomach churned but it was the fastest way home unless he wanted to backtrack which would take him around thirty to forty-five minutes. He didn't really want to do that so he began to tentatively make his way through the alley. He could feel his palms getting sweaty as he silently crept along.

Glancing ahead, he spotted a large puddle of blood by the dumpster and-

"Is that a foot?" he gasped, seeing the foot jutting out from around the side of the dumpster. He really hoped it wasn't a severed foot or something. He didn't think he could handle seeing that.

_Same with a dead body. This person better be alive._

He didn't want to have to live with the sight of a beaten, bloody corpse permanently etched in his mind for the rest of his life. He'd never forgive the person for dying.

Curiosity finally getting the better of him, he took a peek around the corner of the dumpster. And almost lost his meager lunch.

The person was all there luckily, but he was coated in blood and his foot was bent goofy.

"That's a lot of blood," he whispered, horror stricken.

The young man stirred at his voice, groaning weakly as an eye cracked open.

"...D-don't come...a...closer...," he gasped out, words barely audible.

Neku wanted to turn and run far away and never think of this guy again. He didn't want to be involved.

But, curse the small shred of compassion in him, he just couldn't bring himself to.

So instead, he knelt by the silver-haired man and began to inspect his injuries.

The silverette seemed surprised that he hadn't left, but he then smirked.

"...My...hero," he chuckled, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes.

"You act like that, I will leave you here," Neku grumbled, shooting him a look, but the young man only stuck his tongue out.

Neku found three gunshot wounds: one in his right shoulder, one in the back of his right leg, and another one that had nicked him in the left side.

If that wasn't bad enough, his ankle was obviously twisted really bad and he had a lot of nasty looking bruises and cuts.

"Wow, what the heck happened to you?" Neku muttered, amazed at the amount of injuries he had. The guy only mumbled a inaudible reply, too out of it to reply anymore.

"We need to get you to a hospital right away," he decided, pondering how he'd get him there. The young man became alert again, shooting him a mixed look of panic and anger.

"No. No hospital."

Neku stared at him, flabbergasted.

"What? Dude, you're going to die if you don't go to a hospital!" Neku snapped, enraged at his sudden stubbornness.

"I refuse. Just bring me a medical kit and I'll do it myself. I have to get back..."

Mid-sentence, the young man began to trail off, eyes dulling to a dazed look.

"Back? Home, you mean?"

There was no reply to his question.

"Ugh...what do I do...?" Neku groaned, though it was obvious he wasn't being paid attention too.

He had to help this guy, but he didn't want to go to the hospital.

_Well, I know how to patch someone up, but I'm no doctor...Better than leaving him here though._

Finally deciding on his choice, he carefully helped the semi-conscious man to his feet and towards his apartment past the alley.

"You'd better not die on me. I'll kill you if you go and die," Neku hissed, as he dragged him along. The man only chuckled weakly.

"Mmkay..."

* * *

**Hope you liked it! Please review, I enjoy the love~**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Beginning of Recovery

**I am super sorry for taking so long in the update! T_T I was in the city all week for an enrichment program for the U of W and couldn't do any work on this story. Once again, I am sorry :( (hey it's slightly longer than the last one. Can I be forgiven because of that? :P)**

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews~! I love reading them all and they really help motivate me to get these out faster. Please don't stop the reviews, guys! :D **

**So, without further ado...**

* * *

_Finally deciding on his choice, he carefully helped the semi-conscious man to his feet and towards his apartment past the alley. _

_"You'd better not die on me. I'll kill you if you go and die," Neku hissed, as he dragged him along. The man only chuckled weakly. _

_"Mmkay..."_

* * *

Neku's apartment was a drab, rundown place, which consisted of a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. He used the one bedroom as a computer room for his laptop and to store all his art stuff.

There wasn't anything spectacular about his place but it was his and it was definitely better than the streets.

"You're getting blood all over my carpet..," Neku huffed, despising the thought of having to clean it up.

"Oh, sorry about that," the injured young man, who was now using Neku as a crutch, retorted with a sarcastic tone. Neku bit back his own reply, not wanting to start anything.

"I didn't catch your name. Mine's Neku," he said instead.

"Joshua," he finally replied after a beat. Neku hadn't missed the brief flicker of hesitation on his face.

_He doesn't want me to know his name. Did he just make up his name?_

When the weight of Joshua leaning against him increased unexpectedly, Neku grunted in surprise, shifting to accommodate the extra weight.

"What the heck was that, Joshua?" Neku snapped angrily, not liking the lack of a warning. He looked over at his companion.

Joshua's eyes were closed, the only reply he was giving being ragged breathing.

"Joshua?" he asked, anger morphing to worry. He was unconscious.

Neku struggled to drag him to his room, not really caring about his carpet or his bed getting soiled anymore.

_This guy will definitely need some painkillers after…_

He tried to gently lay him on his bed but it was hard since he was supporting all his weight. Grunting in exertion, he finally managed to somewhat nicely get him on the bed. Joshua groaned at the movement but his eyes didn't open.

Neku willed all the information that he had gathered from skimming through medical textbooks to come to mind.

He scanned Joshua's limp body, locating all his injuries again and trying to decide which would need attention first.

"The one bullet that nicked him in the left side isn't that serious and it's not really bleeding that much so I can leave it for now. The bullet that got him in the leg seemed to go straight through and didn't hit the bone. It missed anything serious so it's not bleeding all that much. His shoulder is still bleeding a lot. There's a chance he might have hit that bundle of nerves in the shoulder. What was that called again? Ahh, the name's not important right now. I can't really know unless he wakes up…" Neku spoke aloud, still desperately trying to figure out what he should do.

He sat on the edge of the bed so he could inspect Joshua's shoulder better.

Blood was still seeping through his shirt, making it hard for Neku to get a good look at the injury. Before Neku could consider his options, Joshua groaned in pain, eyes sliding open. He made a sound that sounded like a cross between swearing and a moan.

"Joshua, you have to stay awake. I need to ask you questions while I do this," Neku demanded, thinking about how it was a bad idea to let him pass out in the first place. Joshua mumbled something under his breath and Neku raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

"I said whatever," he spoke louder, obviously aggravated about staying awake. Neku only rolled his eyes in response, mildly amused by the silverette's pouting.

"Okay, Joshua. Can you move your right arm?"

Joshua took a moment to process the question, still dazed and exhausted. He lifted said arm, flinching in pain but having no other trouble otherwise.

"It hurts," was all he grumbled in reply.

"Well yeah, you got shot there genius," Neku shot back, ignoring Joshua's glare.

"Can we just get this over with?" Joshua finally sighed, obviously in pain. Neku nodded.

"I'll get the med kit from the bathroom."

He hurried off, leaving Joshua to his own thoughts for a moment. He let his eyes close as he breathed out shakily.

_How did this even happen? I can't believe this all came about because I tripped on my bag…_

Bag. Joshua's eyes shot open. The bag. Where was it?

"Are you kidding me?" he whispered disbelievingly.

_Think, Josh. You grabbed it when you escaped. You still had it on you when you went through the apartment. After that…_

Joshua racked his brain frantically but he couldn't recall if he had it beyond that point.

"No no no no…," he repeated over and over, clutching at his head.

Just then Neku walked back in, his medical kit in his arms. He gave a confused look as he saw Joshua having a breakdown on his bed.

"You okay there?" he questioned, setting the kit down on the foot of the bed.

"My bag…," he whispered dazedly.

"Your bag? Did you lose it? Why, what was in it?" Neku asked curiously. Joshua only shook his head in reply, clamming up.

Neku stared blankly for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay, whatever. Don't tell me then. Let's just get this-" he motioned towards the med kit, "-over with."

Joshua took a deep breath and let it out, pulling himself together.

"Yeah."

It was painful and the pain killers Neku gave him didn't kick in right away, leaving him to spit curses at the 'doctor' as he tried to disinfect and bandage his injuries.

"I hate you and I hate your family," Joshua hissed through gritted teeth.

"You don't even know my family," Neku replied dully, not very interested in his insults.

"I don't care. Your hair looks dumb."

"Hey, I work hard for this appearance!" Neku replied, annoyance creeping into his tone. "Besides, you look like a girl with that long hair. When's the last time you got a haircut?"

As their banter stretched on, Neku almost found it enjoyable, if he wasn't getting covered in his acquaintance's blood and having to extract a bullet from his shoulder. For once, he was talking to someone he could hold an interesting conversation with.

It had always been hard for him to open up to people, since they automatically labeled him as a loner and a weirdo. He had grown bitter towards everyone because of the way he was treated and soon he found himself with no friends or relationships. And as the time in his solitude wore on, he found a tugging in his heart to try and find someone and talk to; he was still human and he still needed contact with others. But all the time spent in his shell had left him unable to even hold a conversation with someone. He had been trapped inside the box he had made for himself, but then he met _him_.

"Nekkuuu," Joshua drew his name out longer to get his attention.

"Huh?" Neku's head snapped up to attention. He smacked himself mentally for getting lost in his thoughts.

"Can you leave the daydreaming for after you've bandaged me up?" Joshua asked sarcastically, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, sorry," Neku replied, slightly embarrassed.

By the time Neku finished patching him up, Joshua was struggling to stay awake. Just as his eyes slipped close, a sharp pain shot through his ankle causing his eyes to snap back open. He hissed in pain. Neku, still holding Joshua's foot in his hand, shot him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I had to snap it back or it wouldn't have healed properly."

Joshua only nodded in understanding, the pain already fading away to nothing thanks to the painkillers.

"Can I sleep now?" he asked instead. After a moment, Neku nodded. Joshua sighed, happy that he could sleep. Before he let sleep overtake him though, he called out to Neku who was just about to leave the room with his medical supplies and garbage.

"Thanks, Neku my dear."

He faintly heard Neku stop moving for a moment.

"I am not your dear," he grunted in reply.

At that point Joshua slipped into a comfortable darkness and didn't hear Neku quietly add, "You're welcome."

* * *

Sanae was about to lose it.

"Please tell me you've got something, Shiki."

Shiki only shook her head sadly, readjusting her glasses as she continued to type away.

"We can't locate him with the tracking device in his headset. It was destroyed, I'm assuming when he ran from the guards. I terminated the connection with it just in case they try to track us down with it," she explained, finally tearing her eyes away from her screen to stare back at Sanae.

"I found the report from the police saying something about a lady reporting a bloody young man going through the apartment that Beat saw Joshua go into from the roof. Of course, they put it as a false alarm since Beat and Rhyme cleaned up all the blood before they got there. And that rain we had helped wash away the trail. While it's bad that we can't find him, it also ensures that the government won't be able to track him down as well."

Sanae listened silently. Finally, he nodded.

"So I suppose there is nothing we can do now except wait for him to check in," Sanae muttered, glancing over at his own computer screen.

"Yes," Shiki sighed as she pushed her chair back and stood.

"Well, I'm going to wait for Beat and Rhyme to come back," she said quietly before heading out of the room to the front of the café. Sanae watched her go before burying his face into his hands with a groan.

"Where are you, Josh?"

* * *

A young boy threw himself into the nearest alley, struggling to control his heavy breathing as he pressed against the brick wall.

"Where did he go?" A gruff voice came from just around the corner. The young boy pushed into the wall even harder, willing himself to disappear.

"That little punk got away!" Another voice snapped angrily.

"We'll get him tomorrow. Let's get out of here."

When their footsteps drifted away, the boy allowed a sigh of relief as he stepped away from the wall. He took a cautious peek around the corner and saw that his bullies were out of sight.

He decided not to go in their direction, choosing instead to go down the alley he had hidden in.

"I'll show them one day…they'll regret ever being mean to me," the boy hissed to himself, gripping the straps of his backpack that were over his shoulders tightly. He entertained himself with images of him pummeling his assaulters to death as he continued along. So caught up with his violent daydream, he didn't notice the bag lying in the middle of his path. Luckily, he didn't trip over it, catching himself before he went for a tumble.

He stared at the bag for a moment, deciding whether or not he should examine it closer. With a quick glance around nervously, he knelt down to get a better look.

He spotted some red splattered on the bag as he felt the bag hesitantly.

"Paint?" He wondered aloud. He ignored the brief thought of it maybe being blood, deciding that it was paint.

He picked up the bag, carrying it since he already had his backpack on his back. He would check out the contents of the mysterious bag when he was in the safety of his house. He began the hasty trip back to his home.

* * *

Joshua dreamt of blood. It was everywhere: dripping off the walls, gathering into puddles on the ground. He knew that the walls of the vacant room had been white at one point but now it was nearly impossible to tell.

He stood there, dripping the red stuff, not certain if it was his own anymore. He didn't hurt, he couldn't see any injuries on himself, but he was covered in _blood_.

He turned around, knowing that there was a body slumped against the wall but not really knowing. He walked slowly towards it, reaching out a hand to touch the familiar face, just to make sure it was really there. He felt the cold skin and the blood on his fingertips as he cautiously brushed them along the person's cheek. Their eyes snapped open and Joshua reeled back in surprise. Dull blue eyes stared up at him.

"Neku?" A familiar name slipped from his lips.

"Josh, this is what I get for helping you?" Neku's mouth doesn't move but his voice echoes through the room.

"W-what? What did I do?" He stammered, raising his hands subconsciously in a defensive manner. He saw the gun in his hand. When had he even grabbed the gun?

"_You did this_,_ Josh. It's your fault._"

Joshua's eyes widened. The room morphed around him until he found himself standing on 104. Now Neku was the one standing on the edge, staring at him in horror, and he was the one watching disinterestedly.

He tried to move, to stop what would inevitably happen, but Neku was already falling. He still couldn't budge but internally he was screaming at himself.

"Joshua, wake up!"

Joshua's eyes flew open with a gasp, clutching at his head. His head pounded in time with his frantically beating heart and he acknowledged the fact that he was definitely awake now.

"Joshua, are you okay?" He hadn't noticed that Neku was in the room and had his hand on his arm.

"Why'd you wake me up?" Was all he asked, bringing his arms down as he spoke.

"Well you were screaming and that woke me up. I wanted to sleep since I work tomorrow and….I suppose I was worried," he explained, adding the last part quietly as he glanced away, obviously embarrassed.

Joshua blinked a few times before smirking. "To think you care so much. Sorry to let you down Neku, but I don't swing that way."

Neku's face lit up with anger. He seemed to ponder whether or not he should punch his face in before jumping to his feet instead.

"Are your injuries starting to hurt again?"

"Uhh, yeah," Joshua replied, surprised that Neku had so much self-restraint for someone with a temper like Beat's.

"I'll get some pills for you then."

Before Neku could leave though, Joshua called out jokingly, "I didn't think you had so much restraint to your temper."

Neku paused in the doorway. He turned back to look at Joshua with a sour smile. "I work at a grocery store."

With that, he left. Joshua stared at the now empty doorway before bursting out with a laugh.

"Maybe I should get Beat to get a job at a grocery store then," Joshua chuckled, imagining the punk guy working as a cashier. He laughed some more, tears of mirth blurring his vision.

Neku walked back in with two pills and a glass of water, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe you don't need any more medication," he stated, watching the silverette finding everything a little too funny. Joshua quickly stopped and looked at him with what Neku realized was his puppy dog face.

"Please can I have the meds?"

Neku glared at him, not liking when people tried that look. But he handed it over anyways.

Joshua took it gratefully, relaxing back onto the bed once he swallowed the pills and drank the cup of water. "Thanks."

"You should be thankful. You woke me up at 4:56 in the morning!" Neku snapped, gesturing to the alarm clock on the nightstand.

Neku stomped out, muttering something about having to get up early for work and wanting to pummel Joshua. Joshua only snickered before letting his eyes close.

The dream bothered him. The details had already begun to slip away but Neku's face of horror as he disappeared over the edge of the 104 roof stuck freshly in his mind. His mood dropped and his smile was quickly replaced with a frown as he pondered the dream.

It had started differently but it had changed into something similar to his old dream. He had been the unknown person and Neku had been him.

Well, what did it matter? He had never really put much stock into dreams anyways. People said that dreams held some deeper meaning but Joshua couldn't really see it. How could dreams about him riding a unicorn really mean anything more than that he liked unicorns (which he _didn't_)?

With that thought in mind, Joshua drifted asleep again.

Neku, who was lying on the couch in the living room, a blanket wrapped around him, stared at the ceiling as he pondered the recent events. He was pretty certain he had heard Joshua say his name in his sleep. He rolled over with a huff. Just who was this guy anyway?

He would get answers from Joshua tomorrow. He would force the guy to tell him everything, whether he liked it or not. With that decision, Neku closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly, desperate for a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

**Please review guys~! It really makes my day :)**


	5. Chapter 5 - Maliciousness and Bonding

**I'm sorry again for being a bad person and taking foreeeevverrr T_T I'm such a procrastinator. But this one is quite long I think. I've been working on it on and off for the last few months and finally I work up the energy to finish it~! So enjoy please -3-**

**I imagine it has a few errors spread out so I apologize for any of those. Please tell me if you see any. I'd really appreciate it :) And for some reason, the spacing changes towards the end :T I don't know how'll it'll show up when it's uploaded but I can't seem to fix it. Sorry 'bout that.**

**Without further ado...**

* * *

_He would get answers from Joshua tomorrow. He would force the guy to tell him everything, whether he liked it or not. With that decision, Neku closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly, desperate for a few more hours of sleep._

* * *

When Neku Sakuraba awoke from an awkward night on his couch, the first thing he did was check his watch that was on the coffee table. It told him it was 7:01 in the morning and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was expected to be at work around 8:30 and he would then start his shift at 9:00.  
"Good morning."  
Neku almost fell off the couch when he jolted in surprise. He looked over at Joshua who was seated on the floor, leaning against the opposite wall.  
"What the- How long were you there watching me!?" Neku stammered, filled with a combination of embarrassment and anger.  
Joshua shrugged absentmindedly, more interested in the carpet than their conversation.  
"It's probably been...about a half an hour or so. I woke up and I couldn't sleep so I came out here to bug you. But you looked like you needed the sleep."  
Joshua glanced up at Neku again, and Neku could see that Joshua was still in a bit of a fog from the medication. There was a pregnant pause.  
"And you looked so cute asleep," He added with a cheeky grin, eyes lighting up. Neku glared at him.  
"I will throw you out of my place if you don't cut that out," He shot back as he began to kick the blanket off to stand.  
"No you won't," Joshua sang, looking smug.  
Neku growled but he knew Joshua was right. Deep down he knew he enjoyed their bickering. When was the last time he'd really had an actual conversation anyways?  
"Neku, I'm hungry," Joshua stated, staring at Neku expectantly.  
"Are you not capable of making your own food?"  
Joshua made a pouty face. "Of course I can't. I can barely walk and I'm all injured. Besides, it's your place so you cook the food. I'm just the guest. "  
Neku sighed, not enjoying the thought of having to cook more food than usual. But Joshua needed the food to help his body recover.  
"So you can walk on your foot?" He asked instead. Joshua nodded.  
"I was walking on it before you found me too. So I suppose it's not broken."  
Neku nodded absentmindedly, now on the thought of having a shower and changing out of last night's clothes that were covered in Joshua's blood.  
"Yeah...there could be a fracture though. I would suggest getting an x-ray to be safe."  
Joshua nodded but Neku knew he wouldn't act on his suggestion.  
"Did you land on that foot wrong?"  
Joshua nodded. "Yeah."  
After that, Joshua clammed up and refused to answer any more of Neku's prying questions. Neku quickly gave up then disappeared into his bedroom. Joshua watched him walk out with a bundle of clothes before going into the bathroom.  
Joshua continued to stare at the door Neku had disappeared into for a while, then used the coffee table as support to hobble to the couch. He collapsed onto the couch and let his body relax. He felt his eyes begin to close from exhaustion, but as soon as they closed he was assaulted with images of blood and a dead Neku. His eyes flew back open with a strangled gasp. Burying his face in his hands, he groaned in annoyance.  
"I can't sleep because of this stupid nightmare," He said into his hands.  
What had happened to that dream anyways? He had had that same dream for the last few months and just now it suddenly changed. Why did it take getting injured and meeting Neku to change his dream?  
He struggled to pull up details of his dream, but some parts of it were just too fuzzy to remember. With a sigh of resignation he carefully moved himself until he was sprawled out comfortably on the couch. He continued to lay there, staring blankly at the wall, until Neku walked into his field of vision. His bright orange hair was still wet from the shower and hung in his face.  
"Oh look, your hair isn't defying gravity," Joshua giggled.  
Neku glared at him. "My hair doesn't defy gravity. And I just asked you a question."  
"What was the question?"  
"What do you want to eat?" Neku repeated, obviously frustrated.  
Joshua pondered the question, ignoring Neku's annoyance with him.  
Five minutes later they were sitting on the couch enjoying instant noodles.  
"This isn't exactly a healthy breakfast, Josh," Neku muttered as he picked at his absentmindedly. He wasn't really hungry this morning.  
Joshua on the other hand was wolfing his down contentedly, not quite understanding his sudden craving for instant noodles. Usually he preferred actual ramen but whatever. His mind said he wanted instant noodles so he would enjoy it.  
"No need to be picky, Neku."  
"I am not picky!" Neku snapped back.  
Finally, Neku gave up with trying to eat and gave his half eaten noodles to Joshua before standing. "I'm not hungry right now. Besides, I'd better get going."  
At the door, Neku hesitated and looked back.  
"You won't break anything or do something stupid, right?" He asked nervously and Joshua laughed.  
"Of course I won't, Neku. Now run along to your job," He replied with a teasing tone, smirking.  
Neku huffed but left, the door closing with a soft click behind him. Joshua listened to the sound of Neku's hurried footsteps fade away before proceeding to gulp down the rest of his and Neku's noodles. Once he had finished, he leaned back into the couch contentedly.  
A thought came to him as he relaxed. He should call Sanae right now. He let out a groan because he knew he should since Neku was gone.  
It took him a few minutes to actually bring himself to actually get up and look for a phone. He found a cordless phone sitting on its receiver in the kitchen and with some effort, he limped up to it and picked it up. He instantly dialed the familiar number and put the phone to his ear as it rang. It took three rings before Sanae answered. "Wild Kat Cafe. How can I help you?"  
Sanae sounded exhausted to Joshua and he could guess why.  
"Hello, Sanae," Was all he replied.  
There was a shocked silence from the other end.  
"Josh? Is that you?" Sanae's voice was quiet and filled with disbelief. Joshua chuckled.  
"Of course it is. I've only been gone a day and you've already forgotten my voice?"  
Joshua grinned as Sanae laughed incredulously. "Wow, you don't know how glad I am to hear from you."  
"Sanae, I need to get to the point. I don't have time for the mushy talk.  
I managed to shake them off when I jumped out the window and landed on the roof of the apartment. I ran through that apartment and I spent an hour or two running through alleys and just trying to get as far away as possible. I must have passed out in an alley but a young man named Neku happened by and helped me. He took me back to his apartment and patched me up."  
Sanae, who had been listening silently, broke in. "Neku? What does he look like?"  
"Uhh, orange hair that's spiked up in the back. He also has purple headphones that he wears around his neck. I also think he has an addiction to J of M clothing. Why do you ask?"  
"Oh! I know him. His name is Neku Sakuraba."  
"How do you know him?" Joshua asked, shocked.  
"I'll tell you when you get back. When will you be back?"  
Joshua pondered the question, looking down at his still swollen ankle.  
"Maybe not for another day or so. I wrecked my ankle when I landed so I can't really run," He finally replied.  
"Oh. And Sanae. I...I lost my bag," He added, feeling ashamed.  
"Well, it's no big deal, right? The disc isn't in there anymore, right?"  
"No, but I grabbed a file when I was sneaking through the place. That file was extremely confidential, Sanae. If someone picked up my bag, they're as a good as dead."  
"Oh crap," Sanae whispered. "Well, I'll send Beat out to look around the area you were in. With luck, he may find it."  
"Yeah, okay," Josh replied, though he wasn't getting hopeful.  
"I'm gonna go now, Sanae. My foot is killing me and I need to lay down. See you."  
After he hung up, he looked around the apartment before sighing. He should probably look for more of those pills if he hoped to actually get some sleep.

When Nathan Trayford spotted his son, Connor Trayford, walking through the front door, he quickly noticed that he had another bag with him that didn't look familiar. And it looked to be splattered with what he thought to be paint.  
"Hello, Connor," He greeted his son instead of investigating into the matter.  
"Father," Connor spat back, the sarcasm dripping from his words.  
The two had never had a good relationship. Nathan's wife had died shortly after giving birth to Connor, and in a way he blamed her death on him. He was too busy working to pay much attention to his child and it didn't take long for Connor to develop a bitterness toward his father. They became two people just living in the same house, especially after the move to Shibuya from New York.  
He watched his son stomp up the stairs to his room disinterestedly before turning to pick up his coffee on the counter and heading back to his office. He would check out that bag Connor had when he had time.  
Back in his office, Nathan set the coffee on his desk as he sat in his chair. Leaning back, he began to read through the reports open on his computer.  
"I can't believe someone pulled this off," He grumbled to himself, frustration already growing.  
His cell phone rang in his pocket and he let it ring two more times before fishing it out of his pocket and answering it.  
"Trayford here."  
"Sir, we've managed to recover some of the footage of the man that wasn't tampered with. We can't make much of it but we're sending it to you anyways."  
The man spoke briskly and to the point. Nathan preferred that.  
"Thanks," He replied curtly before hanging up. He went to check his email and, sure enough, the email mentioned was there. Opening it, he downloaded the videos attached.  
The first video was so blurry it was almost impossible to discern anything in it. It looked to be an empty hallway. Then someone crept through a door slowly, only a blob of gray on the video to Nathan. The blob darted across the room and into another door so quickly that Nathan was amazed.  
That first video was useless so he gave up with it pretty quickly. The only thing he learned from it was that the person was probably completely clad in gray clothes. So he moved on to the other one.  
The quality was way better since his men were able to almost completely repair the damaged footage. The camera had been in the corner of an empty office that was attached to the room where the computer had been.  
The room was empty for a moment before the door gently opened and smoke began to waft in through the opening. The young man in the gray clothes limped in.  
They hadn't lied when they said they had managed to shoot him; there was blood staining the back of his leg and he was walking with difficulty. It was obvious he was running on adrenaline and determination.  
As he watched, the man carefully closed the door and then hobbled over to the window on the opposite wall. With his back to the camera and his hood pulled up, Nathan could only guess what he was doing. Then he raised his foot and with a hard kick, shattered the window. He turned around, head down so he still couldn't see his face, and moved as far away as he could from the window.  
"He's going to jump out the window," Nathan murmured in amazement, watching the screen eagerly for a glimpse of the figure's face.  
The young man's head turned toward the camera for a moment and Nathan caught a glimpse of bright violet eyes and a lock of silver hair before he was off running towards the window. His men broke the door down and shot at him from the window but Nathan already knew knew about that and didn't care. What he did care about was this intriguing man's face.  
He rewinded it back to the part where he looked at the camera and paused it, staring intently at the face. The young man's face was devoid of any emotion, his eyes the only thing giving away his feelings. He could see the pain and fear in them.  
"You look familiar," He whispered to the screen as he found himself grinning.  
His phone rang again. He didn't look away from the screen as he answered it, still enraptured with his eyes. His eyes...  
"Trayford speaking."  
"Sir, our men are asking for orders. What have you decided?"  
Nathan didn't reply right away, still absorbed with the screen.  
"...The computer is more important right now. Get it back up and running right away. For now, use the backup one."  
"Alright. And what of the young man?"  
He smiled, the grin stretching across his face. The smile held only malicious intent.  
"Do nothing. He'll be coming to us soon."

Neku spent the whole day at work deep in thought. Josh wouldn't tell him how he had gotten those injuries and when someone was secretive of something like that it had to be something dangerous.  
For all he knew he could be an escaped convict or involved in a gang. But that didn't sound like Josh at all. He may have only known the idiot for a little while but he already found himself trusting Josh. He had left him alone in his house with only the worry he would try and leave even with all his injuries. The thought that he might steal stuff or be planning to kill him never crossed his mind. Imagining Josh plotting to murder him behind his back made him snicker.  
Maybe he happened to be in the wrong place and got caught up in something not related to him? His mood sombered at the thought of Josh accidentally walking in on some kind of drug deal and barely getting away with his life.  
"But that doesn't sound right either," He muttered aloud.  
"...'Scuse me, I'd like to pay," A gruff voice broke him from his thoughts.  
"Ah, sorry," Neku apologized, slightly embarrassed at being caught off guard while thinking.  
"S'okay man."  
The guy seemed preoccupied as he handed over how much he owed then proceeded to tug at the beanie on his head. Neku regarded him silently as he pulled out change from the register.  
"Did you remember everything on the list, Beat?"  
A young girl walked up beside Beat, skateboard in hand.  
"Yeah. You want a chocolate bar or something, Rhyme?"  
Rhyme giggled as she shook her head. "Nah. Let's just hurry back to the cafe and see if they've found out anything. I know you're worried, Beat."  
Beat turned and gave Rhyme a look of anger and embarrassment.  
"Whaa-!? No I'm not!"  
Rhyme laughed again and Neku stood there awkwardly, change in hand. He hated being a cashier.  
"Uh, excuse me sir, your change," Neku broke in, holding out said change meekly. Beat rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, as he accepted it.  
"Sorry 'bout that. Guess we got distracted."  
"Yeah, we're sorry," Rhyme apologized as well with a sheepish smile.  
"It's fine. Not like there's anyone waiting behind you anyways," Neku shrugged, not really interested in talking anymore.  
They both cheered up again, glad to not have been a bother he guessed.  
"Well, let's head out, Sis."  
Rhyme nodded. "Alright."  
Neku watched them leave, thoughts already drifting back to his original problem.  
"Dumb Josh...," He groaned before turning to head for his break.  
He didn't hear Beat mutter the same words as he and his sister departed from the store.

Neku was glad when he could finally leave. It was around 7 in the evening when he departed from work, dragging his feet along the sidewalk wearily. People shot him weird glances, as if he was death itself. He ignored them, not in the mood to care and even if he was in a better mood, he still wouldn't have cared.  
He shifted his headphones from around his neck to over his ears. Once they were on comfortably, he began to blast the first song he found on his music player.  
Soon he was lost in the fast tempos and intricate beats of his music and became blissfully unaware of the people around him as his feet automatically led him to his apartment. All he could remember was putting his headphones on then suddenly ending up at the door of his apartment.  
Shrugging off his headphones so they slid down to around his shoulders again, he began the trek up to the third floor to his home. He opened the door and stepped inside, already feeling the tension in his body lessening as he entered his safe haven.  
"I'm back-," He began to say but stopped when he noticed the lights weren't on. In the last bit of sunlight that was streaming through the window, he saw a figure curled up on the couch. Neku could hear faint snores as he stepped closer to the couch. He didn't notice that he was faintly smiling as he crouched down beside the couch. Careful to not aggravate any of Josh's injuries, he gently shook him.  
"Josh, time to wake up. You need to eat," He called lightly. Joshua muttered something, shifting in his sleep. Neku chuckled, shaking him again.  
"Mmmf, go away Sanae...it's not morning yet..," Josh groaned and this time Neku could understand what he was saying.  
"Who's Sanae?" Neku asked curiously but Joshua only turned his back to him.  
"Ouch!" Joshua flinched as he moved and that seemed to wake him up. Neku helped him move into a sitting position.  
"Ugh, I need more pills," Josh hissed, clutching his bandaged shoulder.  
"You're going to overdose if you take too many," Neku scolded him but got up to find the bottle of pills.  
He tripped and stumbled to the kitchen where he flicked the lights on. Blinking against the dots in his vision, he began to scan the kitchen for the bottle. He found it on the counter, bottle open and pills scattered around it. Joshua had obviously gotten his hands on the bottle previously.  
"Josh! How many pills have you already taken?" He called, slightly annoyed.  
"...I dunno...a few. I want more," Joshua grumbled, his voice sounding groggy and not all there. Neku hesitated, not sure if it was safe to give him any more. Finally, he gave in and grabbed two more pills.  
"Don't blame me if you die," Neku sighed as he also grabbed a glass of water for Joshua.  
"I won't die that easily," Joshua scoffed in reply, accepting the pills and glass from Neku. "Thanks."  
"You're welcome," Neku huffed, looking away in frustration. With a sigh, he turned back to look at Joshua who had swallowed the pills and was chugging the glass of water.  
"What do you want to eat?"  
Joshua stared back at Neku as he swished the water around in his mouth absentmindedly. Finally swallowing it, he replied with a shrug, "I don't know. Whatever you want to make is fine I suppose."  
"Well, I'll look at what I have I guess," Neku sighed, setting his bag down beside the couch before heading into the kitchen. Joshua watched Neku's back disappear around the corner before his gaze fell to the bag Neku had left. Mindful of his injuries, he pulled the bag onto his lap and unzipped it to examine the contents inside.  
"An empty lunch bag. Boring..," He sighed dramatically before chucking the lunch bag on the couch beside him before resuming his rummaging.  
He found Neku's wallet next. He got a good laugh at Neku's picture on his passport. The longer he looked, the funnier it continued to get. He clutched at his stomach as he continued to giggle, feeling his abs aching from the sudden workout.  
"What the heck is so funny over there?" Neku called from the kitchen.  
"Nothing!" Joshua sang back which made him laugh again.  
"Honestly, those pills are making you a psycho," Neku grumbled loudly but Joshua only smiled. "By the picture on your passport, you don't need any pills to look like a psycho," Was what he wanted to retort but he decided he didn't want Neku to strangle him in his sleep and bit his tongue instead.  
He was finally bored of the passport so he went back to snooping through Neku's bag. At the bottom he found a can of spray paint and a small sketchbook.  
"Ooh, this'll be interesting."  
Joshua didn't hesitate to open the worn sketchbook. A lot of pages were falling out and the whole thing was tattered but Joshua could easily see it was loaded with art and Neku's emotions. The style reminded him of Sanae's work as he continued to flip through the sketchbook.  
"Why are you snooping through my stuff, Josh?"  
Joshua glanced up to see a miffed Neku standing at the entrance of the kitchen, arms crossed.

"Ahh, I've been caught," Joshua said as he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Your art is very good, though."

Neku's face flushed at the compliment and he quickly strode across the room and grabbed his sketchbook from Joshua's lap.

"T-they're not good, they're just sketches..," Neku stammered, face red as he clutched the sketchbook to his chest.

Joshua smirked before giving him a shrug. "Whatever you say, but I still say you're a great artist. Your art reminds me of CAT."

Neku visibly perked up at the mentioning of CAT. "You know CAT?"

"Well yeah. I see CAT's stuff all over Shibuya. It's really something," Joshua replied, not mentioning that he knew CAT's identity and he actually lived and worked with him.

This was the most excited he had seen Neku so far and it was definitely amusing to say the least. Neku's eyes were shining bright like stars as he began to explain everything about CAT. Neku knew everything, from all his works to things even Joshua didn't know.

Joshua chuckled when Neku finally lapsed into silence. "You really adore CAT, huh?"

"You bet I do."

Neku had a content grin on his face, finished with his raving. Joshua smiled as well. He had learned something about the mysterious Neku today.

"Well, I've talked about my favorite thing. Now how about you?"

Joshua frowned at Neku. "Do I have to?"

"It's not fair if I talk about myself and you don't."

Joshua sighed, defeated. "Okay, I give."

Wow, he had never really thought about what his passion was. He supposed it would have to be...

"Parkour. My favorite thing would have to be parkour."

Neku didn't seem to quite know what parkour was. "Is that when you run on buildings and do tricks and stuff?"

Joshua huffed, crossing his arms angrily. "There's more to it than just the tricks. It's an art. It takes years to train your body to handle it and even longer to be considered an expert at it."

Neku whistled, looking mildly impressed. "How long have you been doing that for?"

Joshua had to think about it. "It would've been almost 10 years ago. After my parents died."

Joshua wasn't quite sure why he was all of a sudden telling Neku this. He had intended to not say anything to Neku about himself since anything he said could be used to find out more about him, and that would be dangerous for both of them. But Neku had already heard this much and, knowing Neku, he wouldn't let up until Joshua had told him the whole story. So, with defeat, Joshua resigned himself to his fate.

"What, your parents died? How, if you don't mind me asking?"

Well, Joshua did mind, but he didn't voice it. With a sigh, he got straight to the point.

"Their car exploded on their way to pick me up from school."

Neku couldn't hide the surprise and horror on his face fast enough.

"What? H-how?"

Neku's voice sounded a little distraught. Joshua supposed that was how people would react.

"There was a bomb strapped to the bottom of the car. They never found out who did it."

What he didn't add was that his parents had strongly opposed Trayford, the secret leader of the government. Not many people knew, but he was the one that controlled everything. He held the strings for the puppets and that sickened Joshua.

"And, supposedly the bomb had been rigged to go off at 4:00, which was when my parents would show up at my school to pick me up. The only reason I'm still alive is because they got caught in traffic."

Joshua shook his head while biting his lip angrily.

"What a joke."

Neku could only stare at him, watching Joshua as he began to get noticeably anxious. This was the first time he had seen Joshua lose his cool before. "Josh..."

Joshua's head snapped to Neku, eyes glaring him down.

"What?"

Neku flinched at the sudden hostility but didn't back down. Instead he reached out and grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly. Joshua's mean glare faltered slightly.

"I'm so sorry, Josh. You never deserved this but you don't need the pity because you are strong. You hate the pitiful looks people give you, right?"

Joshua's widened a fraction. He could only nod weakly.

"Right. You don't need the pity. People only give you the sad looks and apologies, and they don't get it. And I don't understand completely either. But I'll support you anyways. I'll be your...friend."

Neku stumbled on the last word. Friend? He'd only met this guy yesterday and it definitely wasn't a pleasant meeting. Calling him a friend may freak Joshua out, so he decided to apologize.

"Josh, I-"

"I...already consider you a friend."

Neku was cut off by Joshua's quiet reply. Joshua's face was staring down at the ground, fiddling with his thumbs absentmindedly. Neku stammered out his next words.

"M-me too..."

Desperate to change the subject, he glanced around frantically.

"Oh! Supper. Do you want some gyudon?"

Joshua lifted his head, obviously grateful for the change of the subject.

"Sure. Do you need a hand?"

"Ah, no, it shouldn't take long..."

Neku quickly disappeared into the kitchen and Joshua watched him go. Chuckling weakly, he ran a hand through his hair.

This wasn't what he wanted. If they became friends, well, he would almost guarantee that he would lose a third person in his life to _him_.

"Trayford..."

Joshua clenched his hands into fists.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it. Things will probably pick up a little in the next few chapters :) Hopefully I won't take so long this time .**

**Note: Gyudon is basically a beef bowl. They're popular in fast food restaurants and stuff. I wanna try one... T_T**


End file.
